Here's a story from our Horticulture Hotline desk. Today we received a call from a gentleman who was quite concerned he had seen an Asian Longhorn beetle in his yard. He offered to bring it to the office for identification by our Master Gardeners.
The Asian Longhorn beetle is a highly destructive invasive pest that kills deciduous trees. You can read more about it here: http://asianlonghornedbeetle.com/
What the gentleman delivered to the office is this green creature in the Mason jar: a True Katydid (Pterophylla camellifoli). Katydids are the insects heard singing in the trees of Bucks County on a summer night. They eat the leaves of deciduous trees but they're not destructive, and they serve as a good food source for a lot of other critters like birds, frogs, etc.
We were so glad to put this gentleman's mind at ease!
The Katydid was released unharmed into our Demonstration Gardens here in Doylestown.
Our Horticulture Hotline is open during gardening season (roughly April 1-Oct 1) Monday-Friday, 9am-12noon, with extra hours on Wednesday from 1pm-4pm. Call the Penn State Master Gardeners of Bucks County with your home gardening questions and concerns! 215-345-3283.
